You already know that medicines like antibiotics and aspirin can make you feel
better when you are sick, but how do researchers find new medicines? Do
medications work the same way for everyone? How can we use medicine to treat
genetic diseases? Discover the answers to these questions and more by trying one of the medical biotechnology science projects in our collection.
Antioxidants have become very popular in the news lately for their potential health and anti-aging properties. Antioxidants work by preventing oxidation reactions that produce free-radicals which can cause harm to the body. Try testing different vitamins for antioxidant activity. How do vitamins A, B, C, and E compare? Do some vitamins have more antioxidant activity than others? What are some other sources of antioxidants? Try testing extracts from proposed sources of antioxidants like coffee,…
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HumBio_p001
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision is recommended. Use caution when using sharp knives and do not eat any of your experiments.
Police detectives use various scientific tools to analyze evidence at a crime scene. One of the classic tools is the Kastle-Meyer test for the presence of blood. This test is inexpensive, easy to perform, and provides quick results. The test provides evidence if red spots found at a crime scene are actually blood. But the investigator needs to be careful, since other substances can also give a positive result. In this crime scene chemistry science project, you will learn how to perform the…
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BioChem_p037
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need to order the "Presumptive Blood Test" kit online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Be sure to wear safety goggles and disposable gloves when working with the substances and blood kit.
Our genes are made up of hundreds to millions of building blocks, called DNA nucleotides, and if
just a single nucleotide of DNA becomes mutated it might cause a devastating genetic disease. But
sometimes a mutation actually does no damage. What kinds of mutations have to occur to cause a genetic disease?
In this science project, you will explore online genetic databases to identify how a mutation in a gene
can result in a dysfunctional protein, and how other mutations may have no effect…
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BioMed_p007
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of what genes, DNA, and proteins are.
Does your skin get dry? Or do you know someone with dry skin? Dry skin can be a real medical problem for some people. You may have seen many kinds of lotions, creams, and ointments advertised as restorative for dry skin, especially dry hands. But how well do they work? And which ingredients are most important in making them work? In this science project, you will create a model of human skin using JELL-O® and test how well skin moisturizing products with different ingredients keep the…
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BioMed_p015
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Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need to purchase petri dishes online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Adult supervision is recommended for using the stove.
